The Blog
08/09/2011 - Finalists in Baking Industry Awards
There are no other awards more seriously contested and highly regarded in our field than the Baking Industry Awards.
Every year, applications are welcomed from bakers, confectioners and bakeries around the country, willing to pit themselves against the best of the best.
As a very young company we were a little hesitant to enter and put ourselves up against much longer-established bakeries, but there was no better way for us to measure ourselves against the competition.
After a visit from the judging panel we were delighted to have made the finals, and an invite ensued.
The venue, The Hilton in Park Lane, London, no less, and the date was set for the 7th of September.
Due to a recent bereavement, Duncan Glendinning, founder of The Thoughtful Bread company, was unable to attend as he needed to fill in at the bakery on the night shift. Head baker Patrick Ryan was there to represent.
The product that got us to the finals in the category of Speciality Bread Product of the year was our Slow Grana Padano loaf.
This very special bread was born out of a unique partnership between ourselves and the Slow Food UK organisation. The partnership was born at the BBC Good Food Show Winter '10 when we supplied the Slow Food stand with some of our Great White Sourdough for them to use in there popular taste adventure. As their way of saying thank you, they donated a good portion of the Grana Padano cheese, a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese of real pedigree. We set about developing a very special loaf as our way of sharing the Slow Food story and a small thank you for their generosity.
The bread is a heady mix of the hard italian cheese, walnuts and honey, made as a sourdough, providing a perfect balance of sweet, savoury with a slight sour undertone from the sourdough.
The event was star-studded with TV presenter Richard Madeley kicking off the proceedings in a glamorous Carnival themed night where no expense was spared.
We sadly did not bring home the trophy on this occasion, but came a close second to Bachmanns Bakery's Rosemary & Raisin loaf. The other finalist in our category was Greenhalgh's Craft Bakery's Sweet Carribiean Brioche Naterre bread.
Find out more:
Baking Industry Awards
Slow Food UK
15/07/2011 - Thoughtful Bread Company scoop GOLD at Great Taste Awards
At this year's Great Taste Awards we were delighted to win the coveted 3 STAR GOLD award for our Wild Garlic Bread.
Here at The Thoughtful Bread Company we love our foraging. What better than to use the fruits of nature's wild larder to produce something a little special.
The Judges had this to say:
"Lovely crusty appearance and good texture. Greenness adds to attractive appearance and the flavour balance is quite superb."
Our bread was later featured on BBC Radio 2's Drivetime show, presented by Simon Mayo, where resident chef Nigel Barden (judging the awards) served up our bread live on air.
The Wild Garlic season is very short, so look out for our loaves when they are on sale, as they don't hang around! We also produce a rather tasty Wild Garlic Pesto. Sort of our locally-sourced variant of the popular pesto, made to our secret recipe.
Other awards included Gold 1 Star for our Great White Sourdough, Spelt Sourdough and Light Rye Sourdough.
Find out more:
Click here to view this year's winners
17/06/2011 - A week in the life working for Thoughtful Bread Co
When Ross (the current bread shop man down in Green Park) flew off on honeymoon, I was lucky enough to help out in the Thoughtful Bread Co’s Green Park Market shop for a couple of weeks.
And what a great two weeks that was! I’d forgotten how much I loved retail (I used to manage a teddy bear shop in another life!) and very soon felt at home with my apron on, surrounded by hundreds of freshly baked loaves...heaven! I’d spent some time with Duncan beforehand so, after getting to know each loaf, set about selling my wares to the good folk of Bath!
I met so many great people, people who really love their food. From rosemary foragers to cheese addicts, everyone was fun and friendly. Thoughtful Bread Co customers are a discerning bunch and rightly so. They love the products and are passionate about taste, ingredients and quality – I guess that’s why they love Thoughtful.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Thoughtful – I love what they stand for and what they do. Good luck with future plans fellas – I hope I can hang out with you again one day.
Neil Whitehead (PR and Thoughtful Bread Co enthusiast)
17/06/2011 - Major Commendation for the bakery at Prestigious Environmental Leadership Awards
The Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards scheme is the longest running, and one of the most prestigious, environmental award schemes in the UK.
The BCE Awards are sponsored by businesses for business, and are given to companies that the judges recognise as meeting the commercial demands of the present, without compromising the environment for future generations. The BCE Awards aim to provide a unique opportunity for any business to demonstrate clearly that corporate responsibility is an integral part of their organisation, they are innovative and are ahead of the competition.
We entered the awards as a means of pitting ourselves against the very best businesses in the country. Those that are on the frontline of responsible, sustainable, ethical business. The process was gruelling. After a lengthy application form was submitted we were delighted to hear we had made the next stage. A visit from a senior environmental consultant, (part of the judging process) ensured we weren't all talk and we were delighted to show him round our premises and talk about the very many processes we have in place to minimise the impact the business has on the environment. These include anything from meticulously segregating and then weighing the recylable, compostable and landfill waste we produce to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep what we send to landfill to an absolute minimum (which by the way is less than what an average family household produces. Other measures include running our delivery vehicles on Biodiesel made locally in part from waste vegetable oil we collect from restaurants we supply, and growing or foraging for as much of our ingredients as possible, and limiting the rest of our sourcing to within a 40-mile radius.
The event was fantastic, with awards and commendations presented by the sustainability goliath that is Sir Stuart Rose, who had this to say:
"I’ve been very impressed with the quality of this year’s BCE Award winners and commend them for their commitment to the environment, particularly in the face of such challenging economic conditions. They’ve really set the bar for other companies. I know from my own experiences at Marks & Spencer that businesses need to display qualities of leadership, innovation and excellence to succeed with sustainability initiatives. These demanding attributes are also required to win a prestigious BCE Award and all the winners deserve enormous credit."
We were delighted to be a finalist in these awards, pitting giants like Sony, BAE and Sharp to the post, and were even more delighted to be awarded a Major Commendation, which I collected from Sir Stuart Rose himself.
You can see the short video we produced for the awards by clicking here.
Find out more:
More on the BCE Awards
01/06/2011 - Duncan Glendinning named Food Hero
Founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company scoops “Food Hero” award at this year's Good Housekeeping Magazine Food Awards.
After being invited to deliver some bread samples to the prestigious Good Housekeeping Magazine judging panel, Duncan Glendinning, founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company with its bread shop in Green Park Station at the heart of Bath's City Centre was recently awarded the accolade of Food Hero at the awards.
Andrew Fleming, Assistant Editor/Head of the Good Housekeeping Institute, explained: “This year we have once again enlisted the help of Slow Food UK to draw up the shortlist for our small producer award categories. This movement started in Italy and endorses small-producer products with minimal environmental impact or high standard of animal welfare - at a price fair to both producers and consumers. It is clear that bread-making for Duncan Glendinning at the Thoughtful Bread Company is a labour of love. Each hand-rolled loaf is made with ethical ingredients that are seasonally and locally sourced or foraged.“
Alice Murray, from Slow Food UK, commented: “Slow Food UK are delighted that their ‘Food Hero’ award went to Duncan Glendinning at The Thoughtful Bread Company. The tireless energy and passion that goes into Duncan’s bread is reflected in each hand-rolled loaf bursting with local and seasonal ingredients. This eco-artisan bakery is a true labour of love”.
Duncan was unfortunately not able to attend the big night in London on the 25th of May as he was committed to his night's baking: “I was bitterly disappointed not to be able to attend the awards night but I am absolutely delighted to be the recipient of this prestigious award and would like to dedicate it to the rest of the team at Thoughtful Bread, and my gorgeous wife, who have been such a big support throughout the infancy of the business.”
Andrew Holloway, head of logistics and health and safety at The Thougthful Bread Company was invited to attend the ceremony and was presented the award by BBC's “Great British Menu” judge Prue Leith: “I really enjoyed to be amongst such good company at the awards and was honoured to collect the award on Duncan's behalf”. The Good Housekeeping Magazine Food Award is one of several recent awards recognising the continuing efforts the small artisan bakery are making to root themselves firmly into Bath's community. Their shop is open tuesdays through to saturdays in Green Park Station in Bath.
Find out more:
Good Housekeeping Magazine
Photos of the event
23/05/2011 - Welcome to our new sales manager!
Hi, I'm Ross Davies and I am the new recruit for the Thoughtful Bread Company. Some of you may recognize me as I have been working next door for PJ's Farm on a Friday and Saturday. I also had a life away from the market which was completely different to this, and I have now taken the BIG step to work for Duncan and his team as I feel I have a lot to offer, I have a true passion for food, love the drive for what Duncan wants to achieve, and I really want to be part of that. I can't wait to get going now, it's an exciting time for The Thoughtful Bread Company and I'm over the moon to be here, so please next time you pass the shop, please come and say 'hello' and buy some real,award-winning, handmade, good for you bread!!31/08/2010 - Thoughtful Bread Company - an Award-winning bakery!
Well, it has been a fruitfull summer. Deciding to enter our breads into the few competitions that present themselves come the summer months was not a decision we took lightly.
As a very young business, still, we wanted to make sure we only enter products we believe were truely award-winning and the thought of having our breads pitted against those made by long-established competiting bakeries had us feeling a mixture of excited and nervous in anticipation.
We are delighted to announce however that we have scooped a real horde of awards!!
From the Great Taste Awards run by the Guild of Fine Foods we scooped Gold for our Cheddar Gorge Vintage Cheese bread and our Irish Soda bread. You can read a full story about this and the great producers we work with to make these award-winning breads by clicking here.
At the Taste of the West awards, we decided to enter six of our breads and each of them won an award, with our Cheddar Gorge Vintage Bread scooping it's second Gold, along with our funky Beetroot Bread, whilst the Potato & Rosemary and our Great White Sourdough Breads scooped Silver and the Rustic Onion and our tasty Wholemeal Multiseed took Bronze.
We also entered a couple of products in the Baking Industry Awards and whilst we didn't win on this occasion we were delighted to reach the later stages of the competition which was encouraging given the might of the other bakeries we were competing against.
On a personal note I was very very proud of my team here at The Thoughtful Bread Company. Until now the awards and recognition we had received had been for the environmental commitment we make day-to-day and for the way we run the business, so to have The Thoughtful Bread Company placed firmly on the map of great Bakeries in Britain is something I am hugely proud of.
As always, we have to extend a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to you, our customers... as without you buying our bread there would be no bakery.
Gosh, this is starting to sound like one of those soppy awards speeches you see on telly, so I'll call it a day for now!
Thank you.
P.S If you ever hear of any awards, bursaries or initiatives we should be entering into or applying for, please do contact me.
Find out more:
http://www.greattasteawards.co.uk/2010/results/results.asp?AwardYear=2010&SearchWord=thoughtful
http://www.tasteofthewest.co.uk/
19/07/2010 - The Thoughtful Bread Company Scoop Gold at Prestigious food awards!
The Thoughtful Bread Company, based out in Farrington Gurney at the popular Farrington's Farm Shop, with their bread shop situated in Green Park Station in Bath have scooped two awards in this year's Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards. The awards, completely independent and uncompromisingly rigorous, are trusted by retailers, buyers and consumers nationwide and are considered to be to speciality food and drink what MICHELIN is to fine dining.The artisan bakery was awarded Gold for their Cheddar Gorge Vintage Cheese bread, and their Irish Soda bread. Duncan, Founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company commented: "We were thrilled to hear that we are now an award winning bakery! As a relatively young business we were anxious at entering the awards and pitting ourselves against the best bakeries in the industry, so were delighted by the results".
Genuinely working to source ingredients of the highest quality, and as locally as possible is just one of the many lengths to which The Thoughtful Bread Company go to produce products of real quality.
John Spencer, Director of The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company based in Cheddar who supply the bakery with the cheese for the award winning Cheddar Gorge Vintage bread had this to say: "Working with The Thoughtful Bread Company is a pleasure. Not only do they have the skill to take first class ingredients and produce a gold class bread, but they also care passionately about the authenticity and quality of their supplies. Couple this with the incredible level of enthusiasm Duncan brings to the whole operation and they have the recipe for long term business success. " The bakery also sources it's Rapeseed Oil from Fussels who grow and press their oil just a few miles away in Rode. Gary Holloway, commercial Director from Fussels said: "The guys at The Thoughtful Bread Company genuinely care about sourcing locally. We have supplied them from day one and we are proud to be associated with such outstanding products".
There would of course be no bread without the premium organic flour supplied by Shipton Mill. Alan National Sales Manager for Shipton Mill commented: "We are proud to have been working with The Thoughtful Bread Company from their early beginnings supplying them with the organic flour which has contributed to their success through these awards. Winning Gold for their breads is testimony to the hard work and passion they have for what they are doing, producing Real Bread, of real quality and pedigree".
Patrick Ryan, Head Baker at Thoughtful Bread says: "Having my recipes recognised at a national level after all the long hours and the effort we have all put in is a huge honour and as a proud Irishman seeing our Irish Soda Bread take gold makes me very proud".
It is simply by not making bog standard bread that has enabled The Thoughtful Bread Company to set up the Bakery as the country was entering a recession. Duncan said "There are plenty of bakeries producing fairly unimaginative breads so we have created our niche by doing something a little different. Our specialist range of breads that include herbs we grow ourselves and ingredients foraged from the wild larder means that we have enjoyed working with the best restaurants and food outlets in the area. For businesses and foodies who want something a little refreshing and different, come find us in Green Park Station".
The bread shop is open in Green Park Station, Tuesdays through to Fridays, from 9am until 6pm. They are also open Saturday mornings when the Bath Farmers' Market is in full swing but you are advised to visit mid week or early on a Saturday not to be disappointed!
Find out more:
See the Great Taste Awards page here
16/02/2010 - Starring role for our Brioche in hit play!
It's not often you get a call asking whether we could make up some muffin-like brioches to be used as a prop in a theatrical production so we jumped at the opportunity!
Our delicious Brioche were recently featured in Noel Coward's play "Private Lives" which was shown in Bath's Theatre Royal before the tour moved on to pastures new... With a star cast including "Sex and the City's" Kim Cattrall the play has had very good reviews and at the time of posting this is still touring!
Find out more:
Private Lives the play
18/12/2009 - Greenest Market Trader in Britain!
The Thoughtful Bread Company was rewarded this week for it's continuing commitment to reducing it's impact on the environment in it's day to day activities when it was awarded national recognition in the Greenest Trader category of the national "How Green Is Your Market" competition.
The competition launched by the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) was devised to encourage markets and traders to become more environmentally friendly. NMTF Chief Executive Officer Joe Harrison had this to say: “Duncan’s entry into the Greenest Trader Competition 2009 was very thorough and clearly explained his efforts to ensure that his company is socially responsible and environmentally friendly. From sourcing ingredients locally to using recycled packaging, Duncan is very passionate about bread and his business. He is a true inspiration proving that it is possible to run an environmentally accountable business, whilst providing good quality reasonably priced produce.”
Janine Woodward, Regional Manager of Ethical Property who manage the Green Park Station, said "We’re delighted that we’ve been able to support The Thoughtful Bread Company at the Station and Duncan really deserves this award. Small, local businesses such as the Thoughtful Bread Co. are really important in helping us create a more sustainable economy. Green Park Market is fast becoming the destination in Bath for all things local!"
Dick and James Strawbridge from the hit BBC 2 TV series "It's not easy being green" were keen to support The Thoughtful Bread Company in it's early start-up stages and visited the shop in Green Park Station to hand Duncan the award: "We simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to shake his hand and congratulate him for all his efforts in not only setting up a business in a time of severe economic downturn, but one that is also so forward-thinking and caring for the environment in everything that they do".
We are always on the hunt for new ideas to further reduce our environmental impact, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, no matter how small (or how silly they may sound) please get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you!
Find out more:
National Market Traders Federation (NMTF)
More on Dick and James Strawbridge at New House Farm
14/10/2009 - Thoughtful Bread Company scoop awards!!!
The last couple of months have been incredible... some of you may recall our asking that you support us by nominating us for the Bath Life Awards. To our surprise we made the shortlist in the New Business of the Year category.
Having to run the shop and with an early start that night for the following day I hadn't intended on going until a call from the lovely guys at the Bath Life office suggested that we take the trouble to come. I doned my army gear (WW2 themed evening) and my lovely fiancee and I attended the glamourous evening.
To our surprise when the winners were announced we were among them and I was invited to go on stage to pick up the award!!!! In case you weren't some of the few who attended I did take the time to thank all of those who have supported us in the last 6 months...that means YOU!!! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, we wouldn't still be here without your regular visits to our querky bread shop.
Other awards in the last few weeks have included the Federation for Small Business' Best Environmental and Ethical Award which we scooped at a fantastic event at the Guildhall, with thanks of course to Angela Ladd the hingepin of the event and someone who has opened so many doors for us. We were delighted to snap up an award that recognised the lengths to which we go on a day-to-day basis to minimise the impact the business has on the environment.
24/09/2009 - The "great" sliced loaf - value for money or false economy
Whilst out on my daily deliveries I came across a mouldy half-eaten loaf of bread which must have been put out as part of the rubbish collection and discarded by the waste collection operatives. This got me thinking. I often have people stopping at our bread shop to sample our selection of breads only to then comment on the price, comparing our loaves to what the supermarkets have to offer.
We are definitely in the day and age of the BOGOF's where our perception of value for money is manipulated on a daily basis by large supermarket chains, seemingly offering you more for less, when in actual fact for the most of us the exact opposite occurs.
National statistics (sourced from WRAP) state that we waste 6.7 million tonnes of household food every year and one of the major contributing factors to this is simply buying too much. Whilst a buy one get one free offer might sound fantastic, if some of it ends up perishing then the original food item could have cost you more in the first place.
Same reasoning applies to bread in my mind... at our bread shop we don't just sell bread, we sell meal ideas, ways in which to enjoy the bread at it's best. By buying less and by buying more regularly you will undoubtedly end up wasting less (such as the half eaten loaf of sliced bread you never ploughed your way through before it turned green and furry) which will in turn pay dividends.
So, when you are next passing by, short on inspiration for that evening meal or light lunch, talk to us! We have plenty of thrifty ideas that can make a meal out of one of tasty loaves and still leave you with some change in your pocket.
23/09/2009 - Successful taster session at Docky
Sharon and Docky (pictured) invited me to bring some bread along to their fantastic delicatessen in Midsomer Norton and offer a sample of the sorts of breads we produce daily to their discerning customers.
The feedback was fantastic, all the bread sold in a short period of time and as a result we are delighted to add Docky's to our small but growing range of places our bread can be found for you to take home other than at our shop in Green Park Station.
Currently plans are to stock our breads on Fridays and Saturdays in time for the weekend, but please pass on any requests and feedback to Sharon and Docky as they are keen to see this develop. As the closest place to our bakery we are delighted to be working with such a fantastic outlet. Sharon and Docky bring a real flair and attention to detail in everything they have to offer and if the fantastically delicious Wiltshire Ham and Dorset Blue Vinney sandwich with beetroot pickle is anything to go by then you are in for a real treat.
If you are in the neighbourhood, pop in! If you are a bread lover and fancy one of our loaves, then all the more reason to visit and please note that they will very happily take orders for bread if you are worried you may miss out.
13/08/2009 - Like what we are doing? Please nominate us for a Bath Life Award
PLEASE NOTE: Voting has now closed.
We work very hard at The Thoughtful Bread Company to try and offer you something a little different in the bread stakes... so, if you have had a nibble on one of our loaves, or simply want to support what it is we are doing, we would love you to show your support by nominating us for a Bath Life Award.
There are plenty of categories, but those we think may be most appropriate are the New Business category and the Green/Ethical Category. (If you are interested in finding out what makes us green, have a read of our About us page...)
To nominate us, please visit the Bath Life website by clicking here: www.bathlifeawards.co.uk/vote.php
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your continuing support for our fledgling business!
Very best regards,
Duncan Glendinning
10/08/2009 - Bartering update
I never thought that we would get the response we have had from the little bartering scheme we recently set up. The idea always was for people to bring in their glut of garden produce for barter against some of our tasty muffins or a discount off our bread. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of those getting involved. From tender rosemary tops to green gage plums, the last of the gooseberries to some exciting berries and a fair few beetroots (which will be perfect for making our ever-popular beetroot bread!) the variety has been incredible and the quality second to none.
So, a very BIG THANK YOU!
Please do continue though, and if you are not sure of whether we can make any use of what you have to offer, why not swing by the bakery shop in Green Park Station in Bath or drop us an email?
05/08/2009 - A warm welcome to our new recruit
By Alex Wolstenholme
This evening Karyn, my girlfriend, and I got back from work and tucked into a couple of slices of Thoughtful Bread Co. potato and rosemary bread and butter. Karyn has only just moved into her flat but the aroma of the bread made it feel like home.
I like to think my love for ‘proper bread’ began about six months ago. Karyn and I were walking through Green Park Station when an enthusiastic young man asked if we wanted to try his bread. His name was Duncan and he had recently set up his business making a variety of delicious breads, the thoughtful way. His enthusiasm for his product was infectious and it was clear he had a passion for the bread his company produced. We bought a large vintage cheddar loaf to take home to tear and share with our housemates; it was so tasty that we didn’t get as far as the sharing part because we’d finished it all before we got home!
Many visits to Duncan’s shop later ….and last month I was invited to be an apprentice for the day at the Thoughtful Bread Co. bakery in Radstock. It was then I learnt how much effort goes into producing bread the thoughtful way. I knew that early mornings came with the territory but even before I met Duncan at 5 he had been up an hour, foraging for a selection of interesting ingredients from nettles to herbs. I met Thoughtful’s head baker Patrick at about 5.30 and we immediately set to work on the 48hr sourdoughs which had been proving a little bit longer for that improved taste.
After a few hours of mixing, kneading, rolling and baking I was given a tour of the bakery. With the tour came the answer to my question of ‘what makes the company Thoughtful?’ I was particularly impressed with the fact that, not only does the company use recycled chip fat to power a delivery van, but it pumps the fat from a container on site using the energy from a solar panel at the bakery. As a result the delivery process has very little impact on the environment.
Wednesday is now the day I work at the Thoughtful Bread Co. shop in Green Park Station. Being on the other side of the counter was strange at first but I really enjoy it. Chatting with people and spreading the Thoughtful Co. message, together with the knowledge I am selling bread produced in a careful and ethical way is very satisfying. So if you fancy a nibble of some Irish soda bread or Nettle and Chive, and want to learn more about bread made the ‘Thoughtful Way’ then come and visit the shop – I look forward to seeing you on Wednesdays!
Alex
21/07/2009 - The old-school bread of the future
Today at the Thoughtful Bread Company, an English eco-bakery, Duncan Glendinning barters with a loyal customer for home-grown Japanese wineberries. The man brought the ruby-coloured fruit for Glendinning to sample, possibly for use in sweet bread. “Delicious,” says the freckle-faced, 27-year-old founder and owner, as he pops a berry into his mouth. “We’ll pay you in muffins or some bread if you could bring the plant around when it’s ready.”
Bartering for local ingredients is just one way Glendinning keeps costs down and his operation green. The environmental friendliness is no mere marketing gimmick: this bakery is green down to its foraged ingredients and the shelves the bread sits on, made of refinished pallet wood. From Tuesday to Saturday, Glendinning delivers bread from his bakery in Radstock to his shop in Bath in a van that runs on clean-burning bio-diesel fuel. To fill the van’s tank, he uses a solar panel to charge a car battery (salvaged from a scrap yard), which powers the pump that gets the fuel (local and renewable) into the van.
To read the whole article, please visit the More Intelligent Life website.
Find out more:
Read the full article here
07/07/2009 - Flavours of the West Success
We had a fantastic time at last weekend's Flavours of the West food festival held at Milsoms Place. Whilst only a stone's throw from where our little bread shop is in Green Park Station it was great to meet a whole new host of Bath Residents who hadn't sampled our varied range of tasty breads. I was also very grateful to our regulars who having not found us at the Farmers' Market as usual came to find us at the festival to stock up.
Whilst I spent most of the time at our bread stall with my glamourous fiancee who was on hand to help out, I did have time for a brief wander around and the range of produce available was out of this world.
Highlights for me was tastings of the different chorizzos made by "Mash" and his team from the newly established Bath Pig Company and working with our friends at Paxton and Whitfield the expert cheesemongers to come up with some rather tasty bread and cheese pairings including our Spelt Walnut & Raisin Sourdough bread with Dorset Blue Vinny and our Rustic Onion Baguette with St Eadburgha a delicious Cotswald Camembert.
30/06/2009 - Bartering is here!
The idea is simple. Why source our herbs from as far afield as Jersey or Guernsey when our loyal customers have them growing in their garden? Similarly, why purchase fruit for our mini mini muffins (and more) at great expense when you can be rewarded for the glut of fruit you have growing in abundance in your back garden?
Whether you grow your own, or have a keen eye when walking in the countryside and some knowledge of what the wild larder has to offer, we would like to hear from you. With too many herbs, fruit, veg and nuts to mention, if you have something you think we can make use of, then please do pop down to our shop to suggest it to us, or get in touch by email.
Here is a quick bit of feedback from one of our good customers Angela:
"I am delighted and proud to be part of an extremely local and dedicated supply chain - fresh fruits and berries straight from my garden turned into truly scrumptious muffins by The Thoughtful Bread Co. May all customers, friends and neighbours in Bath enjoy every mouthfu! Keep it local!"
We are currently looking for:
Nettles: Preferably the young tops of the nettles, although the leaves from further down are fine as well, although no stalks or no heavily infected leaves if this is at all possible.
Rosemary: Used regularly in our Potato & Rosemary bread, we are after the tender young, new shoots of the plant which can be picked at this time of the year.
Herbs: Sage, Parsley, and more (any suggestions?)
Fruit and Nuts: If you have anything to offer, the please get in touch.
All that is left to say is: have we forgotten anything? If you have something you will know us to find irresistible, then please don't delay, get in touch with us... my mouth is watering already.
NB: If foraging in the wild, please observe good foraging etiquette, respect countryside bylaws and continue to respect our countryside so that it is there for people to enjoy in generations to come.
20/06/2009 - Love Food Festival @ the Paintworks, Bristol
As a new business I can't say that the prospect of attending our first ever festival wasn't just a little daunting. As always though, Patrick and I rallied, (along with my gorgeous fiancee Julia who is slowly playing a larger and larger part of The Thoughtful Story...) and the results were really exciting.
With a great range of breads on offer as well as our ever-popular mini bread boxes, we also took the opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic local producers we are working with, such as The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company who produce and supply us with the incredible vintage cheddar cheese for our Cheddar Gorge Bread, and Fussels Fine Foods who grow and press their own rapeseed oil which we now use regularly at the bakery.
Thanks must be extended to Lorna and the team at Love Food who put on a fantastic event showcasing a great range of local producers as well as offering an evening of entertainment too.
With the up and coming "Flavours of the West" festival now firmly in our sights, we are really looking ahead to the coming months to see what it is The Thoughtful Bread Company can get involved in.
Find out more:
Visit the Love Food Festival website for details of next event
Visit the Paintworks website for information about Bristol's Creative Quarter
31/05/2009 - Picking elderflowers on a lazy sunday afternoon
If like us you are just getting to grips with what the nature's wild larder has to offer, then there has got to be no better time to head out than in the afternoon sunshine for some elderflower harvesting.
Elderflower has got to be one of those quintessentially British flowers. There is nothing better than a cold glass of elderflower cordial on a hot summer's day, or (for those who fancy a little more kick) a glass of elderflower champagne or wine.
Although what we are able to do in the bakery kitchen with elderflower is rather limited, we are experimenting with a couple of products which may well find themselves onto our tasting table and in our shop in Green Park Station in Bath in the coming months, so as always, keep popping in to see what we have on.
In the meantime, visit this fantastic page by the Hamiltons at Selfsufficientish.com for some great recipes for cordial, wine and champagne that are very easy to follow: Click here
Find out more:
Visit the Selfsufficientish website for elderflower recipes
27/05/2009 - Nature is all around us
It is so easy to go about our daily lives oblivious to what is all around us: Nature. When arriving at the bakery the other day I was greeted by a beautiful specimen of a birdling. It was obviously distressed or in shock after something, so, approaching it very slowly, I picked it up so it could be taken from harm's way and it seemed perfectly happy sat in my cupped hands.
After a while (and a quick photoshoot!) I sat it in our herb bed when it seemed happy enough. Shortly after, it took off into flight and was away.
At The Thoughtful Bread Company we are trying to do our bit such as having plenty of bird feed about for them to snack on. I am sure we could be doing more however, such as nesting boxes for ladybirds, so if you have any ideas then we would love to hear from you! duncan@thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com
Find out more:
The RSBP has a handy free online tool for identifying birds
10/05/2009 - A Thoughtful Journey
By Hamish Glendinning
Hello all,
I'm sure most of you have a good idea of what it takes to make a loaf of bread (there were a surprisingly high number of you that make their own, using a breadmaker for example), but being quite a bread-lover myself I realised it takes an enormous amount of care, attention and time, of course! Oh those 4am starts!
I recently came to bath for a short stop but ended up staying just shy of a week, helping out in the bakery as well as the shop. It was an extraordinary experience, whose overall aim was to provide top quality healthy & natural bread with a special touch. Indeed, I have never seen or tasted the varieties of breads on offer elsewhere, and that I believe is a true mark of an up-and-coming new business.
Most of all, I was able to see the benefits of building the business on a sound ecological footing : electricity monitors, biodiesel facility, eco-friendly products such as detergents, as well as reclaimed equipment for the bakery. Though nothing is guaranteed in these uncertain financial times, I am sure that the friendly Thoughtful Bread Company will grow from its current frail beginnings into a firm establishment among Bath's residents.
And know that, even if you make your own bread, or have intolerances of some kind, come on down to the Green Park shop as there could always be something for you. Who knows?
Finally, I leave you with these little words that have now been permanently engraved into my mind : would you like a little taster ?
Best regards to all Bath folk
29/04/2009 - Impromptu clay oven building workshop this monday!
Here at The Thoughtful Bread Company we like to get our hands dirty... Those of you who have been following our progress will know that plans are in place to build a large clay oven at our bakery in which we will be hoping to bake a lot of our bread. Whilst these plans unfold, and with National Bread Week only around the corner, we saw an opportunity to offer Bath's residents (young and old!!) an impromptu clay oven building workshop. If you have ever been intrigued by these ovens, would like to know how they can be built, and maybe even get involved in the process, then we would love to see you!
The details:
When? Monday 4th May, from around 2.30pm
Where? Green Park Station, (where the Farmers' Market usually happens on the Saturdays)
What does it cost? Absolutely nothing, just come on down and get involved, or just watch - it's up to you! There will be our usual selection of breads baked by our baker Patrick available for you to nibble on and treat yourself to should you wish.
Other information: Part of the oven building process will involve treading the clay to condition it. Therefore you'll either need to do like me and roll up your trouser legs, or come along with a good pair of boots or the classic wellies.
This event will suit both adults and children alike, so come on down.
We will be running a follow-up event a few days later on the Friday when you'll be invited back when we fire up the oven to taste some of the goodies Patrick will be preparing for us.
Any questions? Get in touch by email, hello@thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com
See you there - Spread the word!
24/04/2009 - Construction of our Eco-Cabin is complete!
A key requirement in our hunt for suitable premises was having the outside space to store the firewood for our clay oven. Having found a unit we thought might make a good home for The Thoughtful Bread Company, we negotiated permission to erect a small wooden cabin in the place of one of our car parking spaces.
With pallets a plenty, methodically collected over time and painstakingly dismantled (with helps from friends of course!), other timbers salvaged from skips and freecycle, and old sash windows, I set about starting to erect what turned out to be quite a sizeable little wood store!
As you will see from the photos below, the cabin was built around a 1000 litre IBC container, which would eventually store the biodiesel we use to run our little delivery van. Building the wood store also gave us the opportunity to work with some sustainable building materials and allowed us to take our first steps into the realm of renewable technologies:
- The "Ardesia" roof tiles sourced from a british company called E-B-C UK Ltd are made from a high proportion of recycled plastic and were an absolute dream to work with. Scored with a stanley knife they will snap easily making working in and around joists etc. a doddle, yet you can nail a slate right near the edge without it breaking it. They also look just like the real thing, so much so that we decided to tile our WC as well so that people visiting us would get the opportunity to see them from a little closer (if they are using the facilities). Definitely worth considering if you are erecting a new build or considering re-roofing an existing one.
- A small 15W Solar panel, wired to a charge control and then a car battery powers a small pump which allows us to re-fuel our little van with the biodiesel. For those who own a diesel car or van, biodiesel is well worth looking into. At the time we negotiated the purchase from our fantastic supplier BioSulis based just outside of Bath, diesel was well over the 100p/Ltr and we paid just 77p/Ltr - in this case being green does deifintely mean saving a few pennies as well!! What's more, the biodiesel they produce is made from used vegetable oil (not virgin oil, something to avoid if you can...) collected locally, and we have already taken steps to start collecting the waste vegetable oil from the businesses we supply with bread, so in time their bread will eventually be delivered in a van powered by their own used vegetable oil, which would be a fantastic achievement.
- We are also trialling a brand new product which is yet to be released. Although we can't name names, it is safe to say that this will be very popular amongst those considering investing in either solar or wind renewable technologies. With so many people buying equipment which is simply unsuitable for their specific location, this device is designed to measure solar and wind over a period of time, and provide you with a report on the feasibility of such technologies for your given location. More to come on this in due course.
A shed or other structure of similar size would cost well over £600, so with a total cost of just £100 this is another example that being thrifty and a little skip-scavenging really does pay!
~Duncan Glendinning~
Find out more:
If you are near Bath and looking to source some biodiesel, Biosulis are the people to speak to.
For eco-friendly cladding and roofing materials, get in touch with E-B-C UK Ltd.
18/04/2009 - A new recruit is drafted in to help shift the last of our loaves!
This saturday was a great one... After a few hours of frantic selling of our tasty breads (which included a come-back of our ever-popular Beetroot bread, as well as some seasonal favourites such as Wild Garlic bread and portions of Wild Garlic butter) I was delighted to see a little chap with an enourmous smile on his face (no change there) arrive with my sister and my gorgeous little niece.
Joshua took a really keen interest in our little bread shop in Green Park Station, and after I'd managed to fold one of our aprons in half, (length-ways) so he was kitted out in our company uniform, he began to help sell the last of our hugely popular Vintage Cheddar Cheese loaves.
With the farmers market all done and dusted, we headed home for a quiet bite to eat and before long we were back out in the woods hunting for some wild garlic for dinner. It was fantastic to see such a young boy take such a keen interest in foraging, and I sometimes think it sad that we have lost that inate trait to hunt and gather like our ancestors used to do. After we'd filled a little bag, (and Joshua had hunted high and low for that last leaf we needed amongst a sea of wild garlic) we headed home to cook dinner. Joshua was as keen to take part in cooking the dinner as he was in collecting the wild garlic, and you could really see the sense of ownership he had developed over "his" wild garlic, which not before long was in the pan along with his bacon. I have never seen a child scoff down his food as quickly as he did, and this reminded me of when I used to plant some baby carrots and some raddishes with my dad, and how we used to dig them up, give them a quick rinse in the water butt, and munch the lot before we even got back to the house.
If you have a young family of your own, and maybe some space to grow something, why not get them involved in a tomato plant growing competition, or plant some raddishes and carrots like I did as a child, and see if they are keener on eating vegetables they have grown themselves! If you do have a go, get in touch with your stories, as we are always keen to hear from you.
~Duncan Glendinning~
09/04/2009 - 1000 loaves, Wild Garlic and an encounter with River Cottage
It's been a very interesting few weeks for The Thoughtful Bread Co. Gaging public reaction, receiving lots of feedback and simply getting ourselves established but to date everything seems to be moving in the right direction so long may it continue.
Back in the bakery progress has been good. With lots of trials and taste testing, The Thoughtful Bread company product range is ever changing. With wild garlic abundantly available at the moment Duncan has been busy off foraging every morning to get me the ingredients i need. Busier than he was expecting i think judging by the popularity of our wild garlic loaf. Sadly though the availability of wild garlic is rapidly approaching the end of its shelf life as wild garlic prepares to flower. But don't despair as one ingredient comes to an end natures larder quickly offers up something new. Keep an eye out for nettles and dandelions soon to be arriving on your bread board. With the approach of summer comes exciting times.
To date we have long surpassed our 1000th loaf, our permanent presence at Green Park is slowly spreading and our breads are starting to pop up on more and more menus throughout Bath. April and May propose some exciting times ahead. So make sure you check out our Green Park based shop as there is going to be plenty of exciting tasters to come.
~Patrick Ryan~
Find out more:
Visit Komedia in Bath for great comedy nights and more
Not eaten at Hugh's River Cottage Canteen yet?
30/03/2009 - Our first Apprentice!!
A very early start and an extremely steep learning curve for our good friend Ed who comes onboard to experience the thrill of the saturday bake-off. Here is his story.
4.00 am
Duncan knocks on the door and I remember that in a moment of madness last night I'd said I wanted to see how he runs his bakery. Ten minutes past four and we're in the freezing van nursing a coffee and whistling through the dark, deserted streets of Bath.
4.45 am
We reach the bakery outside Radstock, dive in from the perishing cold and switch the ovens on. His bakery is instantly impressive, with some huge refrigerators and ovens which we will need to churn out the 200+ loaves for that day. What's incredible though is that he's managed to save all of this professional kit from the skip from closing businesses and the like. Everything, from the hygienic wall panelling and office furniture to the woodshed outside is a complete re-use of materials. Apart from the hand-basin. He had to buy that.
5 am
As we prep the ingredients for the following day's bread, Duncan talks me through where everything is sourced. The ingredients are incredibly fresh and incredibly local. Everything you'd expect from a thoughtful bread company. As I chop 15 month matured cheese from our local Cheddar town, and sprinkle in wild garlic hand picked from a local forest floor I cannot wait to see each loaf come out of the oven. And with an energy monitor clocking everything in the bakery we know we're doing the most we can with the power given to us.
6am
Paddy, the company's thoughtful baker, turns up and proceeds to speak Irish for the rest of the morning. Under his expert guidance the batches of bread are made up and ready to prove overnight for the following day. Meanwhile, the loaves for that morning fly in and out of the oven in a mad shuffle of tins and racks. Yeasts, flour, dough, heat... what a wonderful chaos. The loaves march out golden and warm and had there been time I would have eaten the lot.
8.30
We drive to the farmers market in the Green Park Brasserie, our precious loaves in the back. I crash in the passenger seat, mentally, Duncan drives, physically. I cannot for the life of me imagine how he keeps this up. And now we have 200 loaves to sell? You must be joking...
9.00
We enter the market. The rest of the population seem now to be thoroughly awake and open for business and I rush to get the loaves onto the shelves. But Duncan seems to be selling them as quickly as I rack them up. I realise that actually 200 won't be enough to satisfy Bath's bread connoisseurs today.
People walk by and it is a joy to watch the loaves, which we lovingly coaxed into being, catch people's eyes and spin them round towards us.
By 12 o'clock it's all gone, and the baking cycle, from our experience of the day, is now complete. Everybody else gets to enjoy the last bit of course and having smelt the produce all day we know they'll love it. My lasting memories are of smiling faces and the communications about Thoughtful's speciality breads.
I walk away with my personal favourite loaf (wild garlic) in my bag, and ponder how Duncan will be to crank up such a delicate produce to meet such voracious demand... good luck to the best idea I've seen ages...
~Edward Sells~
Find out more:
Visit the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Co, the only company still making Cheddar in Cheddar!
14/03/2009 - First farmers
I have mentioned very little about the bakery shop we have in Green Park in the heart of Bath's City Centre where the Farmers' Market happens every Saturday... I will return in time to the work that went into this little outlet, but suffice to say that like everything else it involved rather a lot of thrift and hard work, but it was worth it in the end!!
This Saturday saw our first real Farmers Market. For those of you who have been following our story, we had run a taster session at the market back in December, when the BBC were in tow filming for the little feature we had in the BBC 2 series "It's not easy being green" but this time round, we were open for real...
It was an early 5am start, but the breads that our Baker Patrick produced all looked fantastic, and our stall opened just after 9am. With my lovely fiancee Julia signed up for the morning to help shift our lovely loaves it was great to be met with the same compliments and encouragement as we had had back in December, and we were delighted to sell out just after midday.
In addition to the lovely selection which included a Light Rye Sourdough, our ever-popular Cheddar Gorge Cheese and a delicious Organic Spelt Walnut and Raisin, we also produced 50 small Beetroot rolls (see photo) and in selling these raised £50 for Comic Relief. It did feel really rewarding as we here at The Thoughtful Bread Company strongly believe in re-investing back into the local community and worthwhile charities whenever possible.
~Duncan Glendinning~
11/03/2009 - Guest blog by our baker Patrick Ryan
Finally time to get my hands dirty!
It's been a long time coming but finally I have gotten a chance to get my hands dirty (or at least covered in flour).
With the final pieces to what has been quite a complex puzzle arriving last week, The Thoughtful Bread Company's maiden bake was ready to go. After Duncan has roped me in as make-shift painter, cleaner and labourer of random tasks over the past couple of weeks it was finally time to put back on a apron and start making some dough! Fair to say I was excited. After watching each little bit of the bakery take form, from the construction of our clay oven to the arrival of our first load of flour I couldn't wait to start bringing it all together.
Monday morning was an early rise. With Duncan off for the day, the bakery doors were opened and the weighing of ingredients commenced. As yeasts were proved and doughs started to rise it was clear that what lies ahead is going to be exciting times. As warmer weather loams the array of ingredients available to us is going to produce some exciting breads. Especially with Duncan out foraging. Just wait till you try our watercress bread!
Being back in the kitchen was definitely a welcome feeling. With the best of local and seasonal produce on-hand, the breads themselves didn't disappoint. After an over night prove and some rolling and shaping, our first breads were finally reading to be baked. And there was no way Duncan was going to miss this one. Just wait til you see the results.
Just seeing those first breads come out of the oven made the long await so worth while. The excitement both Duncan and I felt has confirmed for me that The thoughtful Bread Company can be nothing but a success. It is something I am very proud to be part of. Being part of all the little things and the attention to detail, from reclaiming what we can to using the very best of what is local for me is what is going to place us apart from the rest. All that is left to do now is for you all to have a taste so please join us sometime soon!
Patrick
Follow how Patrick gets on in up & coming blogs where he will share his thoughts on the ups and downs of running of a small artisan bakery
04/03/2009 - Guest blog by James Strawbridge
By James Strawbridge, from New House Farm
“Everybody loves bread.” But, not all of us can bake. Personally, when it comes to good bread I like to leave it to the experts.
Over the last few years I have been involved in a wide range of eco projects featured on the BBC; ranging from building compost loos in Fiji to making biodiesel in Cornwall. I have found that in general it has been the home owner and their motivation for better domestic energy saving that has been the driving force in environmental progress. However, businesses are now starting to be as concerned with the economic climate as they are with climate change. The Thoughtful Bread Company is a new business that has taken up the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra and fused it into a new method of thrifty business. Its originality, authenticity, and eco-credentials are unquestionable. There’s an amazing local ethos and heavy seasonal emphasis on ingredients combined with a high standard of green technologies; from the bricks of the earth ovens up to the biodiesel fuelled delivery process. But the thing that I have been most impressed with is the bread. It got me thinking while I was eating. In 10 words I would sum up the Thoughtful Bread Company as: responsible, empowering, educational, healthy, low impact, traditional, local, and yummy!
A VERY BIG THANK YOU to James for his guest blog. James has been involved in The Thoughtful Bread Company for a while and it is great to hear someone like him talk so highly of our bakery here in Bath.
You can follow what James and his dad Dick from "It's not easy being green" are up to by visiting their website www.newhousefarm.tv
Find out more:
http://www.newhousefarm.tv
26/02/2009 - The Thoughtful Bread Company gracing your television sets, Monday 2nd March, 8pm BBC 2
We had a lot of interest in our clay ovens and the prospect of running courses as a result of our earlier appearance on the BBC2 series “It's not easy being green”.
We have since had the BBC revisit us for an update when Paddy and I, along with the help of friends (it really was a case of all hands on deck), baked through the night to produce a fantastic selection of breads to offer as tasters at the Bath Farmers' Market, which was a huge success.
Please do tune in on Monday 2nd of March on BBC2 at 8pm, where you will see James Strawbridge from New House Farm and I visit some of the local suppliers including Burcott Mill in Wells and the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company (where James and I are made to wear those silly paper hats to protect the cheese from contamination, and I was even treated to having to wear a goatee protector!!). Beyond just a bit of good fun, the episode will hopefully show just how committed we are to sourcing our ingredients as locally as possible, and also the lengths to which we will go to tap into the wild larder for ingredients so as to stay as competitively priced as possible. In the episode James and I also forage for some nettles for Nettle and Chive bread, and our master baker Paddy treats us both to a bread kneading master-class.
If you have any comments after you have seen the episode we would love to hear from you as we are always open to feedback!
25/02/2009 - Update on development of the bakery
With only a couple of weeks before we hope to be open, the bakery is really starting to take shape. It has been a challenge deciding whether buying new and eco has more merit than re-using and salvaging, and with the local Environmental Health Officer and strict food hygiene regulations to adhere to it has ended up being a healthy mix of both.
The bulk of the building work is being done using conventional building materials, but we are employing a local tradesman, minimising the use of concrete and other damaging materials and using bits of timber, paint and other materials snatched from the doom of a skip or generously given away on our local Freecycle network as well.
Outside, the log store, built primarily out of pallet wood is also taking shape. This is a very important addition as it will need to keep our wood dry, and our biodiesel tank (which which we will power our delivery van with) safe.
Plans are under way for our growing plot, which we hope to also make a good start on sometime in the next couple of weeks. This will take some time to establish, but will eventually offer us an abundance of fresh herbs to incorporate into our breads, and certainly will be housing our compost bin as soon as it arrives from the local council.
We are still keen to here of any unusual or interesting ideas you may have to help “green” our business, so please do get in touch with us if you wish, hello@thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com
24/02/2009 - More eco-sourcing for the bakery
I was both saddened and delighted to hear that a small family-run bakery up in Northampton had shut up shop. Saddened because I strongly believe that local “convenience” stores such as Tesco Metro, Sainsbury's Local and the other culprits are solely responsible for the demise of the local butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and bakeries that used to grace almost every high street, and it'll be a sad day when they are all but gone, leaving nothing but a series of cloned, soleless and indifferent high street stores for us to browse through.
Speaking with the gentleman who's family had been serving the local community for over 60 years, he saw the price war and the convenience that a local supermarket has to offer as the cause of dwindling sales that inevitably led to him having to close.
We were however very fortunate as there was equipment galore for us to pick up at a very thrifty price. As you know we are all about the thriftiness and truly see it as a way for us to get ahead of the game in otherwise uncertain economic times. Paddy and I eagerly drove up there early on Monday morning, and along the way the thought of driving all these miles did play on my mind. I did however come to the conclusion that if it wasn't me driving up and we had bought from a dealer instead then the equipment would have still have had to do all those miles to reach us. This way, however, we cleverly avoided the middle men, and snapped up a whole plethora of tins, trays and other interesting pieces of bakeware, as well as some of the last items of machinery on our kit list.
We were very excited to also be able to take possession of a few antique bakery relics including a large set of platform scales which he reckoned to be at least 100 years old, and some bread peels used to take the bread out of his large oil-fired oven. Here at The Thoughtful Bread Company, we are all about stories, as at the end of the day when our bread has been reduced to a few crumbs on plates around a crowded table we want people to remember the stories, what we stand for, and the lengths to which we went to produce our quality range. Therefore taking guardianship of these antiques means their story can live on. Our haul even included some Hessian oven gloves made in the Bedford prison by the inmates!!
06/02/2009 - Severe weather conditions halt progress
The last couple of days have been a nightmare. After the highs of sourcing our salvage kitchen equipment, the weather conditions worsened and a painful reminder of the power of nature ensued when the lorry delivering our precious cargo slammed into a neighbouring unit's wall, causing serious structural damage, and we are now facing a hefty repair bill. This really has put a damper on the highs of the money saved through our thrifty business with the Bath Priory, but we are determined not to let this get us down as everything has been so positive.
Because of the rural setting in which our bakery is located, we have felt the full might of the sleet, snow and ice over the last few days, making progress ground to a complete halt until it starts to clear up.
As a result, we are pushing back our plans of oven construction and will update those interested again soon when we have some idea of what the coming days have in store for us.
This downtime has presented a good opportunity to reflect on the last 12 months, as it is over a year now since I embarked on this adventure, and what a year! I can't deny that setting up a business is challenging, but for the few that it suits, it is incredible...I have to keep reminding myself when I am backed up with an endless list of things to take care of that I would be bored if it wasn't like this, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I am loving every single minute and just can't wait to be open for business so that we can share our fantastic range of products with the world!
03/02/2009 - Thrifty business at it's best
Sourcing the kit for our bakery has been something of concern to me. With such a tight budget, and such little time to turn the bakery unit around since acquiring the lease, we were facing having to buy rather expensive reconditioned units from ebay or specialist suppliers, or worst still, buying new. This made little sense to me as the kitchen needs to be something that is used, a tool of the trade, and therefore provided it is in good condition there is no need to buy new and pay extra for it.
This is why keeping our ears on the ground produced a real result last week. We heard that the local fantastic Priory Hotel were updating their kitchen following the appointment of celebrated Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines. After contacting the Hotel's general manager Sue Williams I was delighted to find out that there were all manner of catering sinks, prep tables and other delights for us to salvage.
After some work struggling to get the salvaged kit out of the kitchen and loaded onto the lorry, we were delighted to have bagged ourselves thousands of pounds worth of equipment including a catering fridge (pictured) and a cooking range, for less that a thousand pounds.
This is a perfect example of how we are trying to keep our costs in the current economic recession, and what's more this really was a win-win for both ourselves and the hotel. They had to get rid of the kit, and we needed. Had we not turned up it would almost certainly all had gone to the scrap metal merchants.
This is also an example of how local businesses can work together for mutual gain and we are excited at the possibility of working with other bath-based businesses as our bakery starts to take shape.
One final note simply to say that I was hugely impressed with the Priory's approach. With so much to do, so little time to do it in, and all the resources they need not to have to worry about re-use, it is refreshing and commendable that they did show an interest and were supportive of what we are setting out to achieve, so, thank you to Sue and to Michael.
02/02/2009 - Keys to our bakery!!!
Fantastic news!! After several weeks of paperwork I am delighted to say that we now have the keys to what will be our bakery when our work to convert the unit is done.
Those of you who will have been following the Thoughtful story will no doubt have heard me rant about how unhelpful and narrow-minded the Bath and North East Somerset Council have been with regard to our sighting the bakery in the Bath area. Whilst in the winter months most pubs and many other establishments are happily burning logs on their open fires, (as they should be entitled to), my approaching the council for advice about our new business and our intention to cook all of our bread in a wood-fired oven resulted in them warning us that burning wood would be contravening the Smoke Control Order that is in force in Bath, and that restricts us from burning anything other than smokeless fuel. Whilst I understand the reason behind wanting to protect the national heritage city of Bath, I was disgusted at how unhelpful, and worse still time-wasting the council were in dealing with my case, and for this reason we started looking further afield for somewhere to sight our bakery.
The Thoughtful Bread Company will be operating from a modest unit on Charmborough Farm, a rural industrial estate a couple of miles outside of Radstock, south of Bath. There are many challenges ahead in converting this small 440 sq feet unit into our dream bakery, but we already have some exciting ideas to make our bakery as eco-friendly as possible. These include sourcing building materials from certain landfill, and setting up a system to flush our toilet using rainwater, to mention just a couple!
We have also negotiated the use of a patch of farmland, on which over the coming months we intend on establishing a mature herb garden we hope will provide most if not all of the seasoning we will be introducing into our delicious bread, supplemented by local produce for anything we can't grow on the farm.
We would love to hear from anyone with any ideas as to how we might be able to eco-convert what is a very unexciting, run of the mill industrial unit into the home for The Thoughtful Bread Company, so please get in touch.
We will keep you up to date as to our progress as the really hard work of converting the unit, sourcing all of our equipment and building our oven begins, so follow us on our journey.
17/01/2009 - Success! our first catering event
It was after our feature in The Observer detailing our being inducted into the prestigious Courvoisier The Future 500 network that Caroline got in touch. As a local she took a keen interest in what we were setting out to achieve. In conversation, her impending book launch came up and before long we were delighted to be tasked with catering some food nibbles for the event.
Our baker, Paddy, as always came up trumps, and on offer were our increasingly popular eggboxes with four different types of mini breads including Walnut and Raisin, Garlic and 3 herb, Beetroot and Vintage Cheddar, accompanied by a Spiced Red Cabbage and a Pesto Butter.
It was fantastic to see the egg boxes being handed out and seeing people enjoying sharing them with others around the room, and I felt that it brought people together and worked great as an ice-breaker.
A word on the book which I have yet to read, but having had a very quick whizz through it it seems like an essential book to have. Packed full of ideas for cleaner, greener household management, those that have read it highly recommend it. The book is available on Amazon for those that are interested. You can also follow Caroline's blog here.
I would also like to extend my thanks to the Mr B's Emporium Book shop which if you live in or near Bath, or are passing through is by far the best bookshop in town and offers that personal touch and friendly service that is all to often lost in larger high-street stores.
Not one mini bread was left over, nor were any of the little canapes we prepared and served on roof slates for that rustic look and it was fantastic talking to people about our plans and hearing all of their encouraging words.
Caroline's feedback on the event:
"Duncan and Paddy at The Thoughtful Bread Company did a wonderful job for my book launch. Everyone loved their mini rolls presented in egg cartons – such a great, inventive idea. The selection of breads were flavoured with garlic and herbs, walnuts and raisins, luscious red beetroot and locally produced Cheddar. All with pesto butter and tangy red cabbage pickle. Duncan has so much energy and enthusiasm for what he is doing, and manages to be professional and engaging too, while Paddy clearly knows his bread and how to make it taste delicious! The Thoughtful Bread Company really added to my event, and gave it a local, seasonal feel that was very fitting."
This also was the opportunity for us to test our "no waste" approach to catering, with everything from the egg boxes to the napkins being 100% compostable and when we are open for business soon we will have plenty to feed our herb garden's compost heap with!
A final note simply to say that we are first and foremost a bakery, producing and selling quality, hand-crafted breads and accompaniments. That said, we will occasionally cater for that very special event, so do get in touch if interested.
14/01/2009 - Winter greetings from The Thoughtful Bread Co.
A warm greeting and a belated Happy New Year to you from the deep dark depths of winter.. It is hitting us all, and I have never known the windscreen of a car to freeze on the inside as well as out!!... A great time however for us to make some progress in our hunt for premises, and there is good news at last!
Although not signed and sealed just yet, we are a couple of weeks away from securing a small unit on a a rural industry farm just outside of Bath. Together with the very small coffee shop hut we will be sharing with the Green Park Brasserie in Green Park, Bath, this will provide us with the facilities to bake as well as a retail unit from which we hope to sell our bread fresh 6 days a week, including saturdays when the Bath Farmers Market also frequents Green Park.
Plans are well underway to eco-convert the industrial unit, and with the purchase of a small diesel van that we plan to run on biodiesel, our eco-friendly deliveries are not far off. As always, we want to hear your suggestions as to how we might be able to make our business as eco-friendly and ethical as possible, so we would love to hear from you with any suggestions you may have: hello@thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com
See us on TV this Wednesday
WATCH DUNCAN GLENDINNING ON TV
"It's not easy being green", BBC2, Wednesday 14th January, 8pm
Tune in this wednesday to watch James Strawbridge visit the founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company, Duncan Glendinning, in Bath where he lends a hand in building a clay oven in his back garden from scrap and salvage material. A much larger version of which will be used to bake all of Thoughtful's bread when we open.
Additional information on building clay ovens, as well as a book we have negotiated for a very special price is available by clicking here.
Get involved:
We are still looking for people wishing to get involved in The Thoughtful Bread Company. We don't profess to know it all, and from energy-efficient lighting to eco-friendly building and from organic gardening to rainwater harvesting we really want to get our hands dirty. If you fancy joining us for the ride, pitching in and learning a thing or two, or want to be the one doing the teaching, we want to hear from you. Contact us today by emailing hello@thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com
19/12/2008 - Build your own clay oven - some practical advice
We had a huge amount of fun building our clay oven when James Strawbridge from New House Farm came up to visit us and lent a hand when the BBC shot the feature for the new series of BBC 2's "It's not easy being green", and plan to bake all of our bread in an industrial-sized version of one as soon as we have secured our premises. Here we offer some pointers and practical advice for those wanting to have a go building their own.
For the full article, including photos, click here.
Missed us on TV?
If you missed us on TV you can view the episode again on BBC IPlayer by clicking here.
18/12/2008 - Investors sought
As a fledgling business we are still interested in hearing from people who would like to get involved in the business. If you believe The Thoughtful Bread Company to be an ethical, environmentally-friendly business, and one that you see to have real potential, then please get in touch.
It may be that you would like to invest in the business but may not have time to commit to it. Alternatively it may be that you have some time or expertise you would like to apply to our unique business; or it may be a combination of both.
Either way do get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Exciting times are ahead - join us.
17/12/2008 - Successful first outing to the Bath Farmers
Whilst experiencing continuing difficulties in securing the right premises from which to run The Thoughtful Bread Company in the build-up to the New Year, it's not all doom and gloom. We made the most of an opportunity we negotiated with the coordinator of the Bath Farmers' Market and last Saturday ran a stall offering tasters to the market go-ers so as to gauge peoples' reactions at our products, ask for suggestions and generally start to introduce the Thoughtful brand to Bath.
The going was tough on the Friday preceding market day, with large quantities of dough being prepared to our Baker Patrick's precise measurements, and a sleepless night ensued so that we could bake the bread to be as fresh as possible using as much of the wood-fired clay oven as manageable. Varieties included a vibrant red beetroot bread, welsh clay pot bread, nettle & chive, vintage cheddar cheese, sourdoughs and an indulgent chocolate brioche.
We did make it to market on time and people started crowding around our stall before we were even open for business. The response was actually quite overwhelming. People felt us to be a breath of fresh air, offering them something new that they can't buy in their supermarket or local bakery. Their was also genuine interest in the eco-friendly and ethical approach we have adopted in running the business.
The big lesson learnt from my point of view was that it is not where the bread is made that is important, it is how it is made, and what is made that counts. I realise now that my elusive hunt for that perfect barn or farm outbuilding may not have been as necessary as first thought, and we are now looking for somewhere that will offer all of the practicalities we require without necessarily having all of the aesthetics I first believed to be so important.
The highlight was watching a young boy write on our Thought board. The Thought Board, resting on an easel (all of which were made from old pallets and some blackboard paint) was designed as somewhere people could write some words of encouragement and any suggestions they may have. A young man who had just tasted our Nettle & Chive bread wrote "I really like the nettle bread as it is something new. yum yum".
Other feedback included:
"Beetroot bread - brilliant"
"Great! Please have a shop in Bath"
"Beautiful tasty bread. Good luck!"
"Fantastic! You must open a shop in Bath"
Please browse the photos from the Bath Farmers Market below. You can view captions for photos by clicking on the photo itself.
16/12/2008 - A-board, Easel and Crate built from scrap
Here at The Thoughtful Bread Company we always try and make use of waste materials, bi-products or scrap whenever possible.
In preparation for the Bath Farmers Market stall, we built an A-Board, an Easel and a Blackboard, and some decorative crates, all from old pallets that we salvaged.
If you haven't tried it before, working with scrap wood like pallets can be hugely rewarding, and really really good fun... so whether it's that book shelf you never got round to buying or something a little more involved, why not have a go yourself?
30/11/2008 - Thoughtful Bread Company Founder inducted into exclusive network
Duncan Glendinning, founder of The Thoughtful Bread Company was recently awarded with a place on the 2009 Courvoisier Future 500 list of innovative business brains and creative talent – signifying passion and determination to succeed in the future.
Find out more:
Click here to read the Guardian article
Click here to visit the Official Courvoisier The Future 500 web site
